The Last Option

He didn't know exactly how he would use the information had been saved, but Bernard did see the face of the Hicks killer in the photographs and memorized his name: Duncan Smith. He was one of the most wanted by the FBI. At first he thought about telling Captain West, but if his suspicions were true and Nathan was ordered to be assassinated, he wouldn't say anything until he knew who to trust so as not to put his life and the baby's life at risk again. He was in those musings when he received a new visitor. A man in his sixties walked into her room, glancing quickly at the baby in the crib next to his bed.

"Good afternoon, Bernard, let me introduce myself: my name is Phil Wilcox and I am, or at least was, Nathan Hicks's attorney."

"Yes, I remember seeing you a couple of times at Mr. Hicks' offices, but I had no idea who you were."

"Everything that has happened is very regrettable. I express my sincere condolences for your wife." "Thanks."

"You are wondering why I'm here, right? Your former employer's attorney..."

"Certainly, and I don't think this is a completely friendly visit."

"You're wrong about that, Bernard."

"Let's see, explain yourself," Bernard was suspicious, seeing that man detail the baby asleep peacefully.

"I know everything about you, your wife, and this baby," he said, still looking at the child. "I know all about your arrangement with Nathan and his wife Norma. I imagine he will have told you sometime about the contract you and him didn't sign, and it established everything about the rent of your wife's womb."

"Yes, and as you say, we didn't get to sign it, but he complied with all the agreed terms."

"Including the apartment, the BMW, and the monthly payments for pregnancy care," at that moment Phil turned his attention back to Bernard. "I know that, because I was the one who indirectly executed those payments."

"And I imagine that now he is gone, nor is his wife, I'll have to return everything."

"I repeat: for now I'm your only friend. You don't have to return anything. Nathan had the wisdom to put those properties in your name in time, but we'll have to find a way to justify that transfer."

"And you didn't think about it when you did it?"

"We were more concerned about the well-being of the baby."

"And how is he in all this? He's the legitimate heir of Nathan, I imagine that you will initiate the procedures to ensure that it's so."

"That is a bit more complicated. Nathan did indeed change his will, but was unable to register it in time. We were thinking a lot about how to protect the child, but everything was conditioned to its birth and the legal recognition of the child. And since everything was kept in the most absolute secret."

"Look, lawyer, I don't know much about laws and all that, but I do know the figure of the posthumous son exists and he has rights that protect him."

"You're right, but I must remind you that Norma Hicks is also dead, and she wasn't pregnant, so there is no evidence of a baby. There is a possibility with DNA tests, but we would have to go to court to prove the baby is the Hicks' child, artificially conceived."

"Dr. Holloway has always been on the lookout for the baby, he'll help prove he's a Hicks. Call him."

"I'm working on it, Bernard. As I mentioned, Nathan Hicks failed to register his new will and that is a problem. For the law, his only heir is his sister Rebecca, as he decided that way in case his wife Norma died before him or was divorced. If Norma hadn't died, she would also be his heir and there would be no problem, but with both of them dead, the heir is his sister." "Something very convenient for his sister, right?"

Phil was silent for a few seconds, staring at Bernard and wondering if Nathan had told him about his family at some point. "Don't worry, lawyer, Nathan told me about his family, especially his cousin Louis Randall and his ambitions with the company." "Fine. Do you believe that-?"

"I've been thinking about it, although right now the one that is more convenient for Nathan and his wife to be dead is his sister, but she has been out of the country for a long time."

"But all the power in the corporation will now have his cousin. It's a very delicate accusation, we trust the police will do their job and determine if it was really an attempted kidnapping or something else."

"I don't think they get too much. Although Captain West has reservations about everything that happened, I don't think Louis Randall would be so easy to expose, if he was the one who ordered the death of the Hicks." "Did you tell the police everything you know about what happened that day?"

"Yes, but Captain West thinks there is something more to all this. He isn't very convinced of the kidnapping that went wrong, as one of them practically murdered the others in cold blood following his own plan." "His own plan?" Phil became more interested and moved closer to Bernard. "What plan?"

"I didn't comment to Captain West, but when that subject shot Nathan, one of the others claimed him that wasn't the plan, and he responded by saying no, but his was, and eliminated them both immediately."

Suddenly Bernard felt he had spoken too much before this man without knowing him well. It was true he was Nathan's lawyer and he knew everything about their agreement and about the baby, but what if he was somehow an accomplice of Louis Randall and Rebecca Hicks and the non-registration of the will on time was intentional, favoring this last? This man would have to give proof he was loyal to Nathan in order to trust him, and he knew how to ask for it without his realizing

it. "Look, lawyer-"

"Please, Bernard, call me Phil."

"Very well, Phil, I wanted to tell you that my main concern now is the protection of the baby, if Louis Randall or Rebecca Hicks find out about his existence and they are responsible for the death of Nathan and Norma, he will be in danger. Before beginning the legal crusade to prove that he is a Hicks he must be protected and neither he nor I must appear on the scene until absolutely necessary. The apartment that Nathan put in my name and in my wife's name must disappear from the inventory of the property acquired by the family in order to remain hidden there until the moment when the trial requires our presence. Can you do that?"

"I'll do my best before Rebecca Hicks arrives in the country and requests the inventory."

"You must do it, Phil! If you really want to protect the baby that sleeps next to you, you should do it now. We owe it to Nathan, he loved that baby very much, it's a shame he didn't see him born."

"Okay. I'll work on it, don't worry."

"And another thing, Phil: you must help me with the baby care, you know he needs it."

Phil frowned for a few seconds.

"So there won't be a problem either, although I must remind you that I was the executor of the payments that Nathan made to you, and I know that you have a small fortune in your bank account. What do you want more money for?" "It's something I'm thinking of doing, and I need a lot of money. Don't worry, I won't put the baby at risk."

"Be very careful what you do, Bernard. If our suspicions are true, those two people are very dangerous."

But Bernard wasn't going to directly mess with Louis Randall or Rebecca Hicks. As soon as he's ready, he would search for the murderer of Nathan and his wife himself, and force him to tell who gave the order to kill them. He had decided minutes before Phil entered his room.